When we started out on our walk to the nearest village Jhorhea wanted to know how far it would be. When I told her she wasn’t too sure she wanted to go, but I persuaded her that if she wanted to visit other Tereskadians she would have to walk there.

When we walked through the forest it brought back memories of some ten years earlier when Rhalhea and I and over a hundred cubs walked away from the villages in order to get away from Jhar Morněl and his men. Because of all the snow on the ground, the atmosphere was remarkably quiet, and I felt as if I were walking in some sort of dreamland. Jhalhemha was in my pouch, and Rhalhea was carrying Rheža. Jhorhea seemed to be enjoying herself as she plowed through the snow which was light and fluffy. Our whistling dragons were flying above us, and we kept in constant communication with them.

We had eaten well before we left on our journey, so we did not have to look for food. I knew we could reach the first village before the end of the day, but I wondered if the cubs could handle the long walk. Rhalhea, walking beside me, asked me why we hadn’t come when it was summer on Tereskàdhar and I told her that I wanted to show the cubs the real Tereskàdhar, not the one with its brief, mild summer, but the Tereskàdhar we are used to, with its snow and its desdhak’hor. That is why we have fur, I said. So we can survive where Alharhanians dare not go. Hah, she said. The Alharhanians are daring. They are here summer and winter, and they are here to stay.

I had to agree with her. Ages ago, when the Alharhanians first came here Tereskadians first thought that once they had experienced the bitterly cold winter they would be glad to leave, but it was soon apparent that they had no intention of leaving. I thought this rather unfair. When Tereskadians were first brought to Alharhan many of them died, and yet, the Alharhanians had the advantage of dressing warmly to combat the cold weather. We Tereskadians were not so fortunate because it is impossible to remove our fur.

The first village we came to would also be the last one because we had no intention of walking all over ‘Hănharys. This village was a little smaller than the one where I had lived as a cub. We saw Tereskadians of all ages, and Jhorhea and Rheas were happy to see many cubs their age. The leader of the village welcomed us warmly. When he asked where we came from, we told him. He took a close look at my collar with my name as well as Kykherhenha’s engraved upon it. Ah, he said, in that kind of drawn-out breathy way that reminded me of Bešhelhor, the late leader of my village, you are the one who took all those cubs to safety.

šhŏt. 13.489/Day 513